This book explores the horror boom since the 1960s. This is the first in-depth study in English of a rich cinematic tradition and its recent revival. It studies issues of production, audience and regulation and highlights the importance of Spanish horror film in the European horror tradition and the global culture of psychotronia. It provides an overview of key directors, cycles and representative films, such as Pan’s Labyrinth and Aftermath and includes detailed analysis of the work of directors such as Jesus Franco, Amando de Ossorio, Narciso Ibanez Serrador, Eloy de la Iglesia, Jaume Balaguero, Nacho Cerda and Guillermo del Toro’s ‘Spanish’ films. This is the first critical study on Spanish horror film to be published in English. It is an overview of key directors, cycles and representative films as well as of more obscure and neglected horror production. It also includes a focus on critical and cult contexts of reception in Spain, Great Britain and USA.
Editorial Reviews
Review
‘Lazaro-Reboll’s monograph is a timely addition to the growing field of Spanish Horror film. It complements other foundational works, mainly in Spanish, that have taken a more encyclopaedic approach… it will become essential reading for both academics working in Spanish horror and enthusiasts of Euro Horror. In its incorporation of discourses surrounding fandom and consumption, Spanish Horror Film demonstrates more widely how taste and critical processes behind genre classification have been fundamental to the creation of a horror tradition.’ –The Gothic Imagination
From the Back Cover
Traditions in World Cinema General Editors: Linda Badley and R. Barton Palmer Founding Editor: Steven Jay Schneider This series introduces diverse and fascinating movements in world cinema. Each volume concentrates on a set of films from a different national, regional or, in some cases, cross-cultural cinema which constitute a particular tradition. SPANISH HORROR FILM Antonio Lázaro-Reboll ‘Although it has long been an important presence in European cinema, Spanish horror has never received the critical attention it merits. Antonio Lázaro-Reboll’s diligently researched book rectifies that situation. Lázaro-Reboll provides an insightful account of the contexts out of which Spanish horror cinema emerges and offers compelling discussions of key films, ranging from the formative work of Jesús Franco and Paul Naschy/Jacinto Molina to the contemporary Rec and The Orphanage.’ Professor Peter Hutchings, Northumbria University Spanish Horror Film is the first in-depth exploration of the genre in Spain from the ‘horror boom’ of the late 1960s and early 1970s to the most recent films in the current renaissance of Spanish genre cinema. The book thoroughly examines Spanish horror cinema’s production, circulation, regulation and consumption and the cult contexts of its reception. The examination of this rich cinematic tradition is firmly located in relation to broader historical and cultural shifts in recent Spanish history, and as an important part of the European horror film tradition and the global culture of psychotronia. Key Features – The first critical study on Spanish horror film to be published in English – An overview of key directors, cycles and representative films as well as of more obscure and neglected horror production – A detailed analysis of the work of directors such as Jesús Franco, Amando de Ossorio, Narciso Ibáñez Serrador, Eloy de la Iglesia, Jaume Balagueró, Nacho Cerdá and Guillermo del Toro’s ‘Spanish’ films – A focus on critical and cult contexts of reception in Spain, Great Britain and the United States Antonio Lázaro-Reboll is Senior Lecturer in Hispanic Studies at the University of Kent. Cover image: The Devil’s Backbone (c) Canal+Espana/The Kobal Collection. Cover design: [EUP logo] www.euppublishing.com
About the Author
Antonio Lazaro-Reboll is Senior Lecturer in Hispanic Studies at the University of Kent.